


Hidden

by RaeMin



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alpha Shin Hoseok, Alpha Son Hyunwoo | Shownu, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Anxiety, Beta Chae Hyungwon, Beta Yoo Kihyun, Don't worry there's a happy ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kind of canon compliant?, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Lee Jooheon, Omega Lee Minhyuk, Sad Lee Minhyuk, dynamic repression, no.mercy mentioned, omega I.M Chankyun, sub-gender repression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-07 11:33:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12840288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeMin/pseuds/RaeMin
Summary: Minhyuk has been hiding all his life.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first work on this site, and I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. If I've messed up the tags or something else doesn't look right, please let me know!
> 
> A few things! The first part of this is Minhyuk's backstory, while the second takes place after No.Mercy and all that jazz. The first part contains a rape/non-con scene, so please take caution if you need to. The scene is not very detailed, but it's still a thing. So be careful please. :)
> 
> I'm planning on three parts to this. First two mentioned above, the third being the resolution and "happy ending" promised in the tags. If anyone has specific things they would like to see or snippets with other pairings, I would be happy to write that as either a part of this work or of a separate one. Which brings me to my next point. Monsta X is a pack in this fic, which I have made to mean that anyone can be paired with anyone, anything is fair game lol. 
> 
> All else aside, this is by no means my greatest work, and I also haven't written fan fiction in several years. There are bound to be plot holes (holy shit I forgot how hard it is to establish a universe??) but if you have questions about anything or something doesn't make sense, lemme know.
> 
> I promise Minhyuk gets plenty of love in the upcoming chapters!
> 
> Alright I'm done, carry on buds.

Minhyuk had been hiding all his life. It wasn't like he had wanted to, no; in fact, he had been thrilled when, at the tender age of twelve, he had presented as an Omega.

He had been less thrilled at the disappointment of his Alpha parents, the awkwardness of his mostly Alpha and Beta friends who no longer knew how to act around him, and the unwanted advances. In a society divided by sub-gender, especially for younger ages, whether one was an Alpha, Beta, or Omega pretty much determined who it was 'acceptable' to be friends with. This of course goes away as children mature, but for Minhyuk, it felt like his world was ending. All of the sudden, just because his scent had changed slightly and he had a small "O" on his wrist, half of his friends would no longer speak to him.

The smile on Minhyuk's face when he rolled up his sweater sleeve and showed his upturned wrist to his Alpha best friend, Hoshee, who had done the same when he had presented a few weeks prior, was immediately wiped off when the younger Alpha had stilled, looking at Minhyuk with wide, sorry eyes, as he announced he could no longer be friends with the younger.

This was the beginning of Minhyuk's hiding.

When his parents had moved the three of them due to their jobs, Minhyuk took it as an opportunity to start over. Throughout middle and high school, he constantly wore long sleeves, acted 'strong', claimed he had presented as a Beta, because for Minhyuk, anything was better than being an Omega.

Of course this came with its own set of problems. Minhyuk would have to come up with excuses for why he missed school for a week every three months, the same schedule as an Omega's heat cycle. It also meant that Minhyuk had to lie day in and day out. But even as he got older, and he and those around him learned that being an Omega wasn't a bad thing, and that Omegas were just as important and valued in society as Alphas and Betas, Minhyuk never even considered revealing his true sub-gender - too scared of being left alone, shunned, and bullied as he was during his younger years.

Minhyuk's parents never spoke of his true sub-gender. As two Alphas, they had assumed, like many would, that their only son would present as an Alpha to proudly carry on the family name. When Minhyuk had shown them the "O" on his wrist the night he presented, his parents had shared a look and told him that he was not to speak of his sub-gender to them or anyone else. And the one time he had made the mistake of running to his mother, scared and thinking he was sick because he was hot, shaking, and had what felt like butterflies raging a war in his tummy, she had screamed at him that he was disgusting and weak for letting his biology posses him so completely.

Minhyuk was not allowed to take the sub-gender courses in middle or high school. He was never allowed to learn about heats, mating, child bearing, any of it. He was kept in the dark in hopes he would just fix himself.

Making sure to always cover his tracks took a huge toll on Minhyuk. He always made sure to cover the "O" on his wrist by either wearing long sleeves or using makeup, as Betas were the only sub-gender without a wrist tattoo. He constantly had to use scent suppressors, and missing as little as a day could blow his cover. When he got older and his parents were kind enough to put him on heat regulators, he had been ecstatic when he had become aware (through his own secret research) that he could skip his heat week by simply moving on to the next months pill bottle.

It wasn't like Minhyuk's parents didn't love him. Even when his father would get red-in-the-face angry with him for being too 'submissive' or being scared to look him in the eye, Minhyuk knew his father must still love him. Even as he wiped the blood from his lip or used makeup to cover the bruising around his eye, he knew his parents loved him because they only wanted the best for him. And if passing as a Beta meant that his father would speak to him without hitting him or his mother would so much as glance at him again, he would do it.

Things got better for a while. The beatings stopped. Minhyuk was able to make decent friends at his new high school, and he was well liked by his classmates. Well-known as the charismatic, happy, funny and outgoing Beta. He'd even had a few people ask to court him, but he'd politely declined, not wanting to risk being exposed and going back to the way things were.

Things were better until they got worse. Minhyuk, through his lack of sub-gender education, had been unaware that using his heat regulators to forego his heats completely could have drastic consequences. His body had become so desperate to go into heat that it began to reject the regulators completely, opting to throw Minhyuk into a terrifyingly sudden and painful heat.

It had begun as a dull thrum behind his eyelids, which Minhyuk quickly wrote off as a headache due to studying for his final tests - a feat he had been at for the last few hours, hunched over his laptop in his bedroom. His parents were out of town for a long weekend, which Minhyuk was silently thankful for. The only person Minhyuk planned to see for the next four days was a work mate of his fathers who would be stopping by to pick up some paperwork. Minhyuk had been instructed by his father to let the man in, and see him out. No more, no less.

The aching behind his eyelids slowly but surely morphed into something more familiar. Stomach cramps, shaky hands, feeling hot all over. Minhyuk froze as he finally registered what was going on. Then he began to panic.

How had this happened? He had taken all of his pills, he never missed a day! He hadn't been around any Alphas nearing rut, hadn't forgotten to spray himself with his scent suppressor, so what had he done wrong?

Instincts began to kick in. Nest. He needed to make a nest. Minhyuk began to dart around his room, pulling blankets from his closet and tossing them onto the floor, along with all of the pillows on his bed. The room was suddenly too hot. Minhyuk went to pull off his shirt, but stopped himself. No. This was wrong. He can't allow himself to enjoy this. He weakly dropped down onto his makeshift nest, curling up into a tight ball and trying his hardest to ignore the slick beginning to dampen his sweatpants, his increasing arousal, and the uncomfortable feeling of still being fully clothed.

He drifted in and out of sleep, in and out of intense sexual need that time and time again had him reaching down to touch himself, but forcing himself to stop because he was not  _weak._

Through his haze he vaguely registered banging on his front door. Even if he had wanted to, he wouldn't have been able to get up to answer it. Minhyuk couldn't even think straight long enough to fathom who would even be knocking on his door, his parents were gone, weren't they?

But then a scent became present that hadn't been there before. And Minhyuk wasn't coherent enough to resister right away that what was happening wasn't okay, that someone was touching him and even though his body was reacting positively, his mind was in chaos.

The body pressed down on his. Minhyuk shoved against the Alpha on top of him, the leathery musk overwhelming, hurting his nose rather than alleviating his pain, which was what he had read that an Alpha's scent was supposed to do to an Omega in heat. His choked out protests were ignored by the Alpha, who Minhyuk gained a moment of clarity long enough to realize must have been his fathers work mate. Dirty things were whispered that Minhyuk would have nightmares about for years. He felt hands touching him, voice shushing him when he sobbed out protests, hands being pinned above his head when he wouldn't stop trying to push the Alpha off of him.

It didn't feel good like Minhyuk had heard from his few Omega friends it was supposed to. The presence of the Alpha didn't add ice to the fire of his heat like he'd heard it would. All Minhyuk felt was pain, and as he stared at the ceiling above him, his nest being filled with bad memories and a scent he would never be able to forget, Minhyuk wanted nothing more than to just disappear.

-

Minhyuk awoke in a panic, but yet somehow too tired to move. The leathery scent had faded, most likely meaning the Alpha was long gone. It would take Minhyuk four hours of laying there, staring blankly at the ceiling, tears streaming down his face, to be able to muster enough energy to sit up, stand, and haul himself to the bathroom for a shower. He wasn't able to look at himself in the mirror. He vaguely registered the pink tinted water washing down the drain, blinking through his tears. When had he started crying?

He toweled himself off, retreated back to his room. Gathered his torn clothes in his hands and stuffed them under his bed. Hidden. He gathered up all of the soiled nest blankets, immediately rushing them to the washing machine. Hidden. He sprayed his scent suppressor around the room like it was air freshener. Hidden. Then he burrowed himself under the covers of his bed, curled up as small as he could, and tried to remember how to breathe again.

Hidden.

 


	2. The Exposure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty here's chapter two! There's still a lot of angst in this chapter, but Minhyuk is finally getting some love, and there's only more to come in the next chapter :)

Minhyuk hadn't meant to start off the most important relationship of his life with lies, he really didn't.

After No.Mercy had ended and Monsta X had debuted and were off to a good start, Minhyuk had fully intended to reveal he was an Omega to his band mates, some of the only people he had ever trusted. 

As Minhyuk had gotten older, suppressing who he truly was had started to take its toll, both mentally and physically. So that was why, as he'd escaped the iron clutches of his parents to become a trainee and had somehow ended up with six of the kindest people he had ever met, he started to consider being honest for the first time. 

It helped that the group had two other Omegas, Changkyun and Jooheon. At first glance, Minhyuk wouldn't have pegged either one as an Omega, but once he got to know them he couldn't see it any other way. After seeing how Changkyun and Jooheon were treated with nothing but respect and equality by the two Alphas of their group, Hoseok and Hyunwoo, Minhyuk began to loosen up. Neither one of the Alphas ever acted any kind of violence towards the two Omegas, and when they had their heats, (so Minhyuk had heard, he had always made it a point to avoid the dorm as much as he could when either was in a heat) both Alphas were loving and caring, and even Changkyun, who wasn't one to get sappy, would speak with love in his eyes about how good his Alphas were. 

Minhyuk didn't have to try as hard to come across as "Beta-y" as he could. He let his maternal instincts run rampant on the other members, constantly making sure everyone was okay and acting as the "Sunshine" of the group. He was one of few who could calm down Hoseok after a rough day, to help him let go of all the anxiety and stress associated with being an idol. He was often able to get through to Hyunwoo when he would beat himself up over a simple stage mistake, or get himself down about being both their music group leader, and the leader of their pack, feeling as though he could do better. This was an incredible feat considering Minhyuk couldn't rely on any aid from his Omega scent to calm down either Alpha.

It was honestly a miracle no one had called him out on his lie yet.

As much as he just wanted to march up to everyone and announce he was an Omega, and okay, they could start to cuddle him and look after him and  _treat him like one,_ like they do with Jooheon and Changkyun, he would freeze. He desperately wanted to ask Hyunwoo for the bite, to become an official part of their pack he had come to rely on and love, but he couldn't. So he stuck to his excuse of  _"I'm just not ready yet, Hyung"_ and left it at that. 

Minhyuk didn't know how the others would react, and that was the scariest part. Sure they were loving and kind towards him now, but so were his parents before he had presented as an Omega. Their pack dynamic had already settled around two Alphas, two Omegas, and three Betas. They were balanced that way. Having Kihyun, Hyungwon, and erroneously Minhyuk acting as the peace keepers simply just  _worked_. And who was Minhyuk to mess that up, when he had made it that way in the first place?

He was terrified that they wouldn't understand. That they would be mad at him for lying. That Jooheon and Changkyun would hate him because they'd think he'd lied because he was embarrassed about being an Omega. Both were comfortable in their own sub-gender, so wouldn't they think negatively of him since he wasn't? He was scared that Hoseok and Hyunwoo would blame themselves for not picking up on it sooner or not being trustworthy enough for Minhyuk to confide in. He was scared Hyungwon and Kihyun would think he was an imposter, and be offended that he had tried to fit in with them for so long. 

Needless to say, even though Minhyuk now  _wanted_ to come clean to his members, he couldn't, and it  _hurt._

Now, it wasn't like the rest of Monsta X were clueless. Kihyun especially had his suspicions. Ever since he had tiredly stumbled into the bathroom at ass o'clock in the morning to get ready for dance practice, unintentionally barging in on Minhyuk, who had been holding an unmarked pill bottle, now looking like a deer caught in the headlights, Kihyun had been keeping an eye on him.

Kihyun knew Minhyuk was hiding something, he just wasn't sure what. At first he had been scared, suspecting some sort of horrible health condition or mental illness, because  _why else would you take the label off a pill bottle_. But when he had voiced these concerns to Minhyuk, the other had reassured him he was okay, and Kihyun had begrudgingly let it go.

That was until Minhyuk had started to get sick.

He'd go in and out of being okay - being able to sing and dance properly for rehearsals and performances, to struggling to leave his bed or stop shaking long enough to wash his hair in the shower.

The others were beyond concerned. Hyunwoo and Hoseok repeatedly asked the younger if he was okay, would try to coddle him as much as possible, but it only seemed to make Minhyuk nervous and he would always make up some excuse to push them away when they got too close. 

Minhyuk was finally getting attention, but it wasn't the kind he wanted. He wanted to be cuddled by his Alphas, looked after by his Betas, like he'd seen happen with Changkyun and Jooheon. Their youngest even had the audacity to reject half of these caring advances, much to Minhyuk's confusion and jealousy. He'd give anything to be looked at with love by Hoseok while being pulled into his lap for cuddles on the couch during movie night, instead of sitting by himself on the floor. And he certainly wouldn't protest if Hyunwoo pulled him into his bunk when he walked by because he was lonely and wanted someone to sleep with.

None of these things happened with Betas. That's not to say there aren't exceptions - Kihyun had been known to seek out one of the Alphas if he was feeling down, and it wasn't like either of them rejected him. Hyungwon was the opposite - preferring to keep to himself with a tendency to get violent if one of the Alphas got too cuddly or bossy with him. It just wasn't common for Alphas to care for Betas as thoroughly. It wasn't effortless like it was with Omegas. Omegas were made to be the "submissive" ones, the motherly ones that took care of the children while the Alphas were out hunting in ancient times. Alphas were the protectors, the "dominant" sub-gender. Betas were the strong, independent individuals, the embodiment of " _I don't need no man"._ Betas commonly held positions in highly competitive workplaces. It would be chaotic to have only Alphas in charge of corporations, especially during negotiations or business meetings. Alphas were biologically built to protect and hunt for the other members of their pack, which had evolved through the years into aggressive tendencies and less than conventional methods of problem solving. Usually via fists. 

Betas on the other hand, in old times, had been the ones to look after the Omegas while the Alphas were out hunting or defending, so they were commonly calm, collected, and level-headed. 

Now, again, that's not to say that there aren't exceptions to any of this. There are certainly well-mannered Alphas fully capable of working alongside other well-mannered Alphas in a competitive work environment. And there were certainly Omegas working in positions of leadership and going against sub-gender norms, it again, just wasn't as common. Not a lot of people were willing to devote their life to a profession that made them go against their basic biological tendencies, unless they actually truly did fit better in a role typically held by another sub-gender.

Minhyuk did not fit into the latter category. He was an Omega, through and through. An Omega who just wanted to be held and shown what love was, what being part of a functional pack could be. An Omega who wanted to be able to experience his heats without being engulfed in complete terror. An Omega who wanted to take the bite from their pack leader, just like every other member of the group already had, but he couldn't do it because surely, if he allowed Hyunwoo to get that close to him, that close to his scent gland, he would  _know._

And this terrified Minhyuk. So when his pills (which he had begun doubling up on dosage in order to, hopefully, never have a heat again) began to make him sick like they had all those years ago, Minhuk began to panic. So naturally he did what seemed to make the most sense - he tripled his dosage, which worked for a while. The other members saw he was better so they got off his back. They let him breathe. He was able to continue hiding.

But there were other health complications that came from not receiving proper "Omega" care. Omegas literally need attention from their pack mates, especially Alphas, to thrive. It has to do with hormones and pack dynamics that have been present since ancient times. And Minhyuk's body knew that he was in close proximity to two very eligible Alphas, so once it worked itself up to the point of no return, it began began trying to do everything in its power to get the attention of the Alphas. This in turn sent Minhyuk into yet another panic. His body was beginning to make his scent more prominent, more noticeable, less easily concealed by the scent suppressor he had been using since he was twelve. His body was trying to throw him into a heat, to get taken care of by an Alpha, and the only way it knew how to do this was by forcefully sending Minhyuk into overdrive, making his scent obnoxiously  _loud_ , and for the first time since he had been hurt, Minhyuk was in heat.

It happened when they were all at dance rehearsal. They were practicing in the lower levels of the building in which their dorm was also located. Minhyuk began to feel warm. He wrote it off as sweat from working so hard, and carried on. It was only when Hoseok scrunched up his nose and looked around confusedly, leaning over to ask Jooheon if he was nearing his heat, that Minhyuk had his "oh shit" moment.

In addition to his natural scent becoming heightened due to his heat, all of his other emotional scents were as well. Betas typically didn't have very prominent scents, nothing near that of an Omega even on a regular basis, so using his scent suppressors never caused a problem with the other members of his group. He just smelled normal for a Beta.

The scent of fear and anxiety that had begun radiating off of Minhyuk in waves was beginning to be picked up on by his members. And Minhyuk couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't feel anything but the hands on him, hear anything but those words, and suddenly he felt sick.

It was only when Hyunwoo had come back into the room after filling his water bottle, bristled, and let out a low growl in response to the fear scent of an Omega; the Alpha becoming ready to defend and protect, that Minhyuk gained control of his limbs again. He pushed himself up on shaky legs, darting out of the side entrance to the dance studio.

He kept running until he reached the safety of their dorm. And then he noticed it. 

The smells. He could pick up each of the members' scents distinctly in the small shared space. The dance studio had been open enough to where Minhyuk couldn't smell anything but his own terrified scent, but this. This was different.

He felt safe here. He picked up the two Alpha scents quickly and couldn't get enough of it. His eyes zeroed in on a blanket Hoseok had been using the night before, draped carelessly over the end of the couch. He was pretty sure Kihyun had ordered Hoseok to pick it up and fold it - obviously ignored. Minhyuk wandered over to it as if in a trance. He picked it up, held it to his nose. A sense of comfort washed over him almost immediately. This was okay. Hoseok was safe. His scent was woodsy and smelt of leaves, not a hint of leather. Minhyuk could smell every detail of it, it seemed. The only con of using a scent suppressor for so long was that Minhyuk had become somewhat scent-blind. He could identify the telltale musk of an Alpha, the sweeter scent of an Omega, or the lighter scent of a Beta, but other than that he could tune it out most times. This was not the case anymore. Minhyuk couldn't believe how  _amazing_ each of his members smelled.

Then his brain decided that amazing = proper mate material, and that sense of safety and comfort quickly slipped away as his heat hit him full force.

He doubled over, tears springing to his eyes. It was worse than his last heat, as if his body was attempting to make up for lost time. A strangled sound made its way up his throat, and for a few moments he felt he would pass out. The opening of the front door of the dorm, followed by a fresh wave of  _Alpha_ caused a moan to bubble up in Minhyuk's throat, but he stopped himself.

No. This was wrong. This was what his parents had disciplined him about, what had made them stop loving him. This was Minhyuk being pathetic and whiny and needy, giving in to his biology like the weak Omega he was.

They would be so disappointed. Minhyuk didn't realize he'd stopped being able to breathe.

His parents were going to find him again and beat his heat out of him. They were going to lock him up again, leave him alone to fend for himself, or worse, let  _him_ come back to get it over and done with faster.

Someone was talking to him. Someone was pulling them into their arms, telling him to breathe, that it was okay. 

Except it wasn't. He could smell that there were Alphas in the room and they were going to  _hurt_ him, hold him down and say those horrible things to him again, and suddenly Minhyuk was struggling against the arms holding him, unaware he was muttering a mantra of "no no no no", just like he had that day. He vaguely registered Jooheon's look and scent of utter  _despair_ as he yanked himself out of his grip, stumbling backwards, eyes wide and scared, before bolting into his shared room and slamming the door shut.

He buried himself under the blankets on his bed, hiding. He knew they were out there talking about him. Planning how they would barge in and hold him down and hurt him. Take what was theirs.

Minhyuk eventually passed out due to exhaustion. His body still raving with need, while his mind screamed at him to get away, away, away. He was being torn in two, his mind and body housed on completely different planets. One operating on the basic principle that an Omega was meant to have an Alpha help them through their heat, and that this was nothing to be scared, embarrassed, or ashamed of, while his mind busied itself with playing tricks on him, making him feel those hands, hear those words, smell that scent.

Minhyuk didn't think he could do this anymore. 

-

Still lingering in the entryway and living room, the rest of Monsta X stood frozen.

No one could properly register what was happening. None of them had ever seen Minhyuk act like that, never seen him so scared, let alone of  _them._

The members were beginning to piece things together. Minhyuk was an Omega. That was fine, now a fact. What they didn't understand was why he hadn't just told them his true sub-gender, but the way he had acted when Jooheon had tried to comfort him had given them an idea.

"Someone hurt him," Jooheon said quietly, being the first to break the silence. No one said anything.

"Someone....someone..." Jooheon broke off, sob emitting from between his lips. Hoseok moved from where he had been frozen by the door, crouching down to wrap his arms around Jooheon.

"What do we do?" Hyungwon asked from his spot by the couch, scared eyes turned towards the Alphas for guidance.

The question went unanswered for a while, until Changkyun spoke up. "Hyung," he whispered quietly towards Hyunwoo, causing everyone to snap their heads in his direction. Changkyun was blinking back tears. Changkyun _never_ cries. "Hyung, it hurts so bad to go through it by yourself, and he's..." he gestured to the door, watching Hyunwoo, looking to the Alpha to make everything better.

Hyunwoo was stuck in his own head. One of his closest friends, his  _family_ had been hurting and he hadn't known. He had failed as an Alpha, and as their pack leader.

While Hyunwoo was at a loss for words. Kihyun was not. "I don't think either of you should be around," he said, motioning to the two Alphas. Hyunwoo opened his mouth to protest, but Kihyun cut him off. "No. I saw how he freaked out when he smelled the two of you. Whoever is responsible for the pain he's in was an Alpha, so having you two around is going to do more harm than good for him right now."

Kihyun was right, he usually always was. Hyunwoo and Hoseok moved towards the door, Hyunwoo finally speaking for the first time, "Keep me updated. I need to know he's okay," his voice cracked. "Take care of him, Kihyun."

Kihyun nodded, eyes meeting Hyunwoo's sympathetically, before shoving the two Alphas out the door.

Kihyun took a deep breath, stabilizing himself. One of his Omegas was hurting. He had a job to do.

He eyed the other Beta and two Omegas watching him, before clapping his hands together and barking out orders.

"Alright. Jooheon and Changkyun, gather up some blankets. Find ones that smell like you rather than Hoseok or Hyunwoo. Rub your scent on them if you have to. Hyungwon, get together some snacks and bottled water."

As the others moved to quickly complete their tasks, Kihyun took a moment to collect himself. He drew in a shaky breath, shoving his shaking hands into his pockets. Someone had hurt Minhyuk. Someone had hurt him enough for him to hide his true identity, and nearly overdose on heat regulator pills. That's what this had to be, right? That's what those pills were that Kihyun had seen in the bathroom all those weeks ago. Kihyun couldn't believe Minhyuk, their sunshine, had been suffering alone all this time.

Kihyun gathered up the blankets and supplies the others brought to him, and took a deep breath before pushing open the door Minhyuk had slammed shut.

Kihyun nearly had to walk right back out. It took him a few seconds to identify where the other even  _was_ , as he was expecting him to have made a nest in the middle of the room like the other two Omegas usually did. Like their biology instructed them to.

This was not the case for Minhyuk. He had dove into his bed and was currently curled, back against the wall, front positioned towards the door, into a small ball under his bed covers.

"Oh,  _Min_ ," Kihyun choked out.

Underneath the covers, Minhyuk tensed.  _This is Kihyun_ he kept trying to tell himself,  _he would never hurt you._

But it was all in vain. The second Kihyun moved to get closer, Minhyuk let out a scared sound that sent Kihyun's mind reeling.

What the actual  _fuck_ had happened to Minhyuk,  _their_ Minhyuk, to make him feel like this? Omegas were usually desperate for physical contact during their heats, but Minhyuk sounded like he would probably start screaming if Kihyun touched him.

"Min," Kihyun said softly. "It's just me, sweetheart,"

Against all odds, Minhyuk relaxed, the pet name working wonders. Kihyun noticed.

"Okay baby, I've got some blankets and supplies for you." He said calmly, and Minhyuk was confused.  _Supplies?_ What does he need supplies for?

"I want you to eat something and drink some water, okay, Min?" Kihyun asked. When Minhyuk didn't answer, Kihyun took another step forward, kneeling down on the floor next to the bed, placing a hand gently, slowly, on the lump under the covers.

Minhyuk tensed, but otherwise said nothing. Then he started shaking, chest heaving with choked off sobs.

"I-I'm sorry," the body under the covers gasped out. "Kihyunnie I'm so sorry please don't hate me," he wheezed.

"Baby," Kihyun said sternly, reaching a hand to the top of the covers, "Let me see you, Min."

Minhyuk reluctantly let the covers be pulled down enough to reveal a ruffled up tuft of blonde hair and bloodshot eyes. At the surge of interest his body relayed at the scent of Kihyun so close to him, the comforter no longer acting as a barrier between the two, Minhyuk let out a pained whine, curling up tighter and attempting to hide again.

Kihyun would have none of it.

"Baby, I need you to listen to me," he said softly. Minhyuk remained still, staring at his balled up fists he'd drawn to his chest. Kihyun waited until he nodded.

"No one is mad at you, sweetheart. No one." Kihyun immediately shushed Minhyuk's beginning of protest, repeating again, "No one is mad at you. No one is going to hurt you, Minhyuk," Kihyun's voice wavered sightly. He blinked back his tears. Now was not the time. "None of us will ever let anyone hurt you again, baby. Promise." 

They sat in silence for awhile. Minhyuk's hand had tentatively reached out for Kihyun, who had been tracing patterns on the back of it with his thumb ever since. Minhyuk cried out suddenly as another wave of heat hit him, knowing full well that the brief respite he'd had while Kihyun talked to him wouldn't last long. He yanked his hand back from Kihyun, mumbling out more apologies, beyond embarrassed to be seen like this by Kihyun.

"Do you want me to leave?" Kihyun asked. When Minhyuk nodded, Kihyun, although it went against every instinct he had to leave an Omega in distress, respected his decision. He wasn't ready to let someone see him so vulnerable, and Kihyun understood and respected that.

"The blankets are next to you on the floor, and so are some snacks and bottled water. I need you to drink all of the water and eat something for me, okay?" This time, Minhyuk muttered an agreement. "Okay," Kihyun continued, "I'll be checking up on you again in a couple hours. I'll knock first, and let you know who's coming in, okay?" 

At this, Kihyun steeled himself and left the shaking Omega alone. He shut the door quietly, abruptly coming face to face with Jooheon, who had fallen asleep on the floor along the opposite side of the hallway. Kihyun smiled.

"Jooheon," he said, shaking the other awake. Jooheon's eyes shot open, and he immediately launched into questions about Minhyuk.

"Is he okay? Hyung, did he drink something? Eat something? Is he hurting?" Jooheon babbled out. Kihyun waited until he was finished to answer.

"Yeah, honey. He's going to eat and drink the water you got him," he assured. Jooheon relaxed only slightly.

"Would it make things worse if I went in to see him?" He asked softly. Kihyun wasn't sure how to respond. 

"I don't know, baby. None of us know what could upset him further," Kihyun sighed, pulling Jooheon up and tugging him along to go relay the update to the rest of the pack, all of which were waiting in the living room, worried gazes snapping up to Kihyun as he entered. Kihyun repeated what he had told Jooheon, and the others sunk back into their seats.

Kihyun also sent a quick text to Hyunwoo, keeping him updated as he had promised. 

Then he sat down and let his thoughts wash over him,

This had to be fixed. Minhyuk needed to know that they all still loved him, that they all still wanted him as a part of their pack. Kihyun understood that now, too - Minhyuk had been reluctant to take the bite because it would have been too risky. Hyunwoo would have known nearly instantly that he was an Omega. The realization made Kihyun's heart hurt.

Kihyun desperately wanted to know who had done this to their brightest member. Who had laid unwanted hands on him and scarred him in such a way that he had become incoherent, scared to death of his closest friends, his family? Kihynun hadn't noticed he was radiating an uncharacteristically angry scent before Hyungwon snapped him out of his thoughts, hand coming to rest on his knee.

"I know," he mumbled. "I'm angry too, Ki."

Changkyun had been quiet. Kihyun slid his eyes over to the small Omega, who had been sat on the couch facing the hallway where Minhyuk was, as though guarding him. Jooheon was wrapped around the younger, both silently comforting each other. Kihyun smiled fondly.

He had a good pack.

But one of the members of his pack, though unofficially, was hurting. And Kihyun and the others were willing to do whatever it took to bring Minhyuk back to happiness, to help him become comfortable in his own skin again.

It would be a long journey, but they were willing to do anything to help Minhyuk be able to stop hiding.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so blown away by how many people have read this already like??? I used to write on Wattpad a few years ago (I'm fkin old ok) and I never had this much engagement on any of my stories so thank you all! I appreciate the kudos and comments so much. I was so nervous to start writing again but you guys have been so nice :).
> 
> As always, if any super noticeable cringy errors are present, please let me know. I do try to proof read as thoroughly as I can but it seems like something always slips through!


	3. The Catharsis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I lied, there's actually going to be four parts to this instead of three. While writing this part I reached a stopping point that just made sense, but theres still more I want to add. So good news, there will be one more chapter! I didn't get to give Minhyuk nearly enough love to leave myself feeling satisfied at where I left his character. The last chapter will be an epilogue of sorts, taking place at some point after the events of this section. Hope you all enjoy, and thank you so much for all of the kind comments and kudos. :)

Minhyuk felt like shit.

After five excruciating days, his heat had finally let up. Kihyun had kept true to his word and had, every few hours or so, come in to make sure he had drank some water and ate more than a few bites of a protein bar. Minhyuk didn't know where he would be if it weren't for Kihyun. The only heat he had ever had before the one he was presently recovering from had been spent, albeit unwantedly, with an Alpha so it had been cut short - hence why spending a heat with an Alpha was much preferred over going through five days of hell alone. Minhyuk had no idea he would get so dehydrated and hungry so quickly, which is why he was so thankful for Kihyun.

The older had never lingered longer than necessary next to Minhyuk's bed, although Minhyuk could tell that Kihyun struggled every time to leave him alone. He tried to be quiet, he really did. He'd bury his cries of pain into the blankets that Kihyun had brought him, ones that smelled strongly of the two Omegas, in hopes that no one outside would hear him. He didn't want to be more of a nuisance than necessary. It was already bad enough that he had put the other two Omegas out of their shared bedroom, but on top of that he was also missing practice and rehearsal. He was letting his group down.

Once his mind had finally begun to clear, Minhyuk became aware of how much _shit_ he was in. Despite Kihyun's reassurance that none of the others were mad at him, Minhyuk was convinced that the others now hated him. How could they still care about him, even though all he'd done as long as they'd known him, was lie?

Minhyuk desperately wanted a shower, but was too terrified to leave his makeshift nest on top of his bed. Leaving this room would mean that he would have to face everything, and every _one_ outside. He didn't think he would ever be ready for that. 

He pulled himself up into a sitting position, the most physical activity he'd done in five days aside from tossing and turning, or curling up into a ball. Blood rushed to his head and he groaned.

Almost on cue, Kihyuns tell-tale knock came at the door. It opened, revealing a worried Kihyun who, now that Minhyuk's mind wasn't fogged up anymore, could fully see the worried look on his face and the tenseness of his shoulders. Minhyuk's gut twisted uncomfortably in guilt.

"Hey, Min." Kihyun began carefully as he walked into the space, shutting the door behind him. Kihyun's scent of lavender and a flower of some sort that Minhyuk just couldn't place his finger on yet greeted him without the wave of arousal afterwards and Minhyuk let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. It was finally over.

"Baby?" Kihyun asked quietly, approaching the bed slowly, like one would a wounded wild animal. 

Upon registering the pet name, Minhyuk looked down, cheeks turning red. "I-I um, it's over." He offered, expecting Kihyun to simply turn around and leave now that he didn't have to take care of him anymore. 

He didn't expect Kihyun to continue into the room to sit down next to him on the bed. Minhyuk's gaze was focused on the blankets surrounding him, his fingers twisting into the fabric in a way that was almost painful. 

The two sat in silence for a while, Minhyuk facing the inner turmoil of not being sure if he should say something, would Kihyun even  _want_ to hear him say something after he'd been forcing him to look after him? His mind was halted upon registering a sniffle. 

He looked up to Kihyun in shock. No way. There was absolutely  _no way_ that Kihyun would be crying right now, "K-kihyun-ah?" Minhyuk choked out, moving to reach out to the younger, but stopping himself.

Kihyun had been through a lot these last few days. He constantly had to reassure the others that Minhyuk was doing as well as he possibly could be, given the circumstances. He had to be the foundation. As he was the only one who had seen Minhyuk in the last four days, the others relied on him for reassurance of their hurting members well-being. In any other situation, Minhyuk was his backup, the one that would give a reassuring pat on his shoulder and a smile, silently communicating a  _you're doing great, Kihyun-ah,_ when he had most needed it, but this time it was  _Minhyuk_ who was hurting and how on Earth was he supposed to comfort someone who was always the one to comfort  _him?_

"Can I?" Kihyun finally managed to ask, opening his arms to invite Minhyuk in for a hug. Minhyuk hesitated before leaning forward to accept the hug, but hesitating again at the last moment. 

"I haven't showered in four days, I probably smell like shit, you don't want to-" Minhyuk's babbling was cut off by Kihyun pulling him into his chest. 

"We were all so fucking  _worried_ about you, baby," Kihyun muttered after a while, which delivered a double-whammy to Minhyuk's fragile mindset. Kihyun  _never_ swears, and his bandmates were  _worried?_ Somehow them worrying was worse than them being mad at him.

"I'm sorry." Minhyuk manages to get out after a while, and  _well damn,_ now he's crying too, and they're both sitting on top of Minhyuk's nest holding each other and  _crying,_ and Minhyuk has never felt both so good and so bad at the same time. 

Everyone knows now. All of his bandmates know he's an Omega, and they're not mad they're  _worried,_ and Minhyuk is not sure how things will ever go back to normal. 

Kihyun shushes his apology, as he'd done repeatedly when Minhyuk had apologized each time the younger had come into the room to take care of him. They sit in silence for a few moments longer, Kihyun pulling away with a playful, "go take a shower, Min. You stink." 

They both stood, Kihyun helping Minhyuk to balance on shaky legs, making their way towards the door. Minhyuk hesitates, 

"Where is everyone?" He tries to sound casual about it, like he's totally not shitting his pants about how they'll react when they see him. Kihyun smiles in understanding. 

"They've all been told to stay in the living room. You're clear to get to the bathroom and back, I'll make sure of it." The  _but we still need to talk about it_ went unspoken, but they both knew it was still there. Minhyuk nodded, opening the door and stepping out into the hall. 

Minhyuk darts into the bathroom with as much speed as his post-heat sluggishness will allow his limbs to coordinate with each other, and shuts and locks the door. He strips of his clothes, cringing at how much sweat, and to his embarrassment and humiliation, _slick_ had accumulated on his clothing. He then moves to twist the dial in the shower to turn the water as hot as he could get it. His eyes land on the fresh clothes and towel on the bathroom counter, obviously left there for him, and his heart clenches. 

He steps under the spray of the shower, letting out a low groan as the heat hits his skin. He takes more time than necessary to clean himself, stalling as long as possible. When the water had finally run cold, Minhyuk had reluctantly stepped out, reaching for the towel and clothes. As he pulls the shirt over his head, he freezes. These aren't his clothes, which would make sense because the others hadn't had access to his room, no, instead the sweatshirt belongs to Hoseok and tears are beginning to prickle at the corner of Minhyuk's eyes. 

The absolute  _longing_ for the Alpha, for either of his Alphas, suddenly hit him full force, easily overwhelming his fragile emotional state. He lets himself feel it for a moment, then reels himself back in, pulling the sweatshirt the rest of the way on and tugging the lounge pants and boxers over his hips as well. 

He takes another unnecessarily long moment to mentally prepare himself before opening the door and creeping down the hall. He reaches the doorway to the room he's locked himself inside of for the past four days, and notices that Kihyun had taken the soiled blankets and replaced them with all new ones. This nearly causes a new wave of tears. 

Down the hallway, Minhyuk can hear  _and smell, which is still so foreign to him,_ that the others are all there, talking. His eyes move to the blankets, to the end of the hallway, and back and forth again a few more times, before Minhyuk finally makes a decision. 

All hushed conversation comes to a halt as Minhyuk's presence is finally observed in the living room. Minhyuk is suddenly extremely self conscious about his decision to forego his normal after-shower spray of scent suppressor, as his Omega scent would now surely be reaching the noses of those around him, as it should have been all along.

The temporary surge of courage that had propelled his feet down the hall and into the living room instead of back to the safety of his nest washed out of his body the second he knew that everyone's eyes were on him. 

Eyes glued to the floor, Minhyuk was unable to look up at anyone in the room. Just as he was about to turn and high-tail it back to the safety of his nest, Jooheon was launching himself off of the couch in the corner of the room and before Kihyun could so much as open his mouth to tell Jooheon to keep his distance, his arms were already around Minhyuk, face buried in the neck of their newest Omega.

Minhyuk tensed, eyes blown wide.  _So Jooheon really wasn't mad at him._ His hands hesitantly crept up to rest on Jooheon's back, head coming down to rest on his shoulder.

_How fitting that their Jooheoney smells like honey._

Minhyuk isn't sure how long Jooheon keeps him in his embrace, not that he's really complaining. The physical contact feels  _euphoric_ after so long of depriving himself of it, especially when he had needed it most. Jooheon is completely aware of how much he needs this and Minhyuk is once again reminded of how lucky he is. Jooheon pulls away, but only to lead him to the couch and then proceed to wrap himself around the older once again. Minhyuk feels vulnerable in this position. He knows everyone is still staring at him, most still standing, no one sure of how to proceed. Minhyuk curses himself for being so stupid and making everything so awkward.  _Maybe if he'd just_ _quadrupled his pill dose -_

"Minhyuk," he looks up and starts, surprised to see Kihyun kneeling in front of him. "Are you okay to talk? Do you want all of us here?" 

Minhyuk nods. He had to face the music sometime, had to be honest sometime. In the back of his mind, Minhyuk faintly wonders where he had placed his suitcase when they had moved into the dorm, because _surely_ they were about to kick him out after he told them all of this.

Minhyuk waits until everyone is seated in the various chairs and couches around him. He still hasn't looked up at any of them, and doesn't plan to anytime soon.

"I-I, um," he begins, starting off much as he had earlier to Kihyun. "I'm sorry." he finishes. And he knows its anticlimactic, nothing near what the others expect to hear from him, but his throat is constricting and his eyes are burning and Minhyuk has never wanted to sink through the floor more than he had in that moment.

The couch dips next to him, on the opposite side of Jooheon, and Minhyuk knows its Hoseok. It's the same woodsy smell that had been on the blanket and had comforted him when he came back to the dorm, the same scent that was on the clothing he was currently engulfed in.

A hand landed on his knee, and despite Minhyuk trying his hardest not to, he flinched. He didn't understand why they were all being so nice to him. When were they going to start yelling? Start cursing him for letting his biology get the best of him once again, for succumbing to it instead of fighting it, letting it set back their team? When were they going to tell him that they'd talked to their managers and he was being removed from the group?

And oh god the  _managers._ They must be  _livid_ with him. He'd lied, not just to their faces but on every single piece of legal paperwork they'd had him fill out and sign, and oh god he was causing so much  _trouble_ his parents would be so disappointed - 

"Minhyuk!" Kihyun was back at his feet, looking up at him with alarm. And whoops, he was hyperventilating yet again, worrying his bandmates even further, why can't he just pull himself together already?

"I'm sorry." he says again, but this time it's little more than a whisper, and if they all hadn't been paying so much attention to him, half of them would have missed it.

The others were sick with worry. They had never seen Minhyuk like this, no one knew what to do. 

"We don't have to do this right now," Kihyun speaks to Minhyuk, so far being the only one able to speak to him, "Sweetheart, we don't have to talk about this right now, it can wait until you're feeling better." 

"No," Minhyuk answers. Both because he doubts he'll want to talk about it later, and that he'll ever feel better. "I can do it now."

His voice is still barely a whisper as he begins telling his story, opening his mouth to a seemingly never-ending waterfall of words tumbling out, spilling to the others from everything about his parents, to what had happened during his first heat spent with an Alpha. 

He gives himself credit for not beginning to cry until he begins what he knew would be the hardest part, "I'm so sorry for lying to all of you. I let you all down and," his voice cracks, the tears finally falling, "I understand if you don't want me here anymore. I'll leave, I promise." 

He twists his fingers together in his lap, arm tensing from where it was still looped with Jooheon's, who was still a comforting presence against his side. He closes his eyes as he waits for the worst. Hoseok's hand was still on his knee, the silence becoming deafening. For a moment Minhyuk was scared that this was his punishment - them ignoring him, refusing to ever speak to him again.

Hoseok is the first to break the silence. 

"You're not going anywhere," and holy shit  _Hoseok was crying what had Minhyuk done,_ "None of us would ever ask you to leave, we all love you so much and-" his voice breaks, hand leaving Minhyuk's leg to wipe at his eyes probably, Minhyuk was still too scared to look up at anyone except Kihyun. A blotch of wetness hits his other arm, the one next to Jooheon and Minhyuk is devastated.

"I'm sorry, please don't cry, please," one look at Kihyun revealed tear tracks on his face as well, and the wetness on his arm and Hoseok's sniffling revealed that at least three of his closest friends were crying because of him and Minhyuk couldn't bear to look up and see the others crying too. It was too much, and Minhyuk's tummy was clenching and un-clenching uncomfortably in guilt.

"Like I said baby, no one is mad at you," Kihyun starts from his spot on the floor. Hoseok tenses at this. Minhyuk braces himself.

"You thought we were mad at you?" he speaks softly, brokenly.

"Why wouldn't you be? I lied, set us back five days, made Kihyun-ah look after me. I've been a nuisance, you all have every right to be mad at me." 

"Baby, you know no one ever gets mad at Changkyun and Jooheon when they get their heats," Kihyun begins, "You know how much we all love to take care of each other, take care of our pack-"

"But I'm not part of the pack," Minhyuk interjects, eliciting a strangled sound from someone on the other side of the room. "I lied about that, too."

There's movement, and someone is taking Kihyun's place at his feet. Minhyuk looks into Hyunwoo's sad eyes for the first time and immediately has to drop his gaze.

"We understand why you did that now, Minhyuk." He begins. "But that doesn't change the fact that we all still want you as part of our pack. You've always been a part of it, just because you don't have the bite doesn't change that." and _shit_ , Minhyuk was not expecting that. Hearing it from Hyunwoo seemed to set everything in stone, as if the Alpha's words had power over the racing thoughts inside Minhyuk's head.

"You all still want me?" he asks quietly.

"Of course we do," Hyungwon speaks for the first time, "You can't get rid of us that easily, hyung."

Silence settles around them all after that. It was comfortable, and Minhyuk found his eyes drooping, suddenly missing Hoseok's hand on his leg. If he wasn't so tired he would never have been able to reach for Hoseok, pulling him towards him and nuzzling into his chest. Hoseok wrapped his hands around him, pulling him close protectively. Minhyuk let his eyes fall closed.

He fell asleep like that. Jooheon wrapped around him on one side, Hoseok's protective embrace holding him on the other. 

Minhyuk felt safe, he felt loved. For the first time, he felt like things might be okay. He had now been completely open with his bandmates, and they still loved him. They still wanted him.

Minhyuk didn't have to hide anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. The Conclusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are at the end. I apologize for this chapter coming later than promised - it is currently finals week at my university, so I have been kept pretty busy! Thank you all so much for your support, kudos, and encouraging comments. Hearing your thoughts has meant the world, and has made me feel much better about my writing.
> 
> Enjoy!

To say that things had been different would be an understatement. 

Upon the conclusion of Minhyuk's heat, after the group had finally become aware of his true status, things had quite understandably changed within the group. Some of it was little things, such as the group members becoming more affectionate towards their member that had been hurting silently as long as they'd all known him. Some things, on the other hand, were a bit harder. 

Hyunwoo hadn't known how to act around Minhyuk for the days following the discovery of his true sub-gender. Things had been awkward, and Minhyuk had been crushed. He hadn't known how to handle himself around the Alpha when he was still passing as a Beta, as he had to constantly walk the fine line of keeping his distance without coming off as cold and uncaring. But now that Hyunwoo had become aware that he was an Omega, Minhyuk had thought they would finally be able to become closer, to close the gap between the two of them that had been present since the day they'd met.

Minhyuk read Hyunwoo's actions as demonstrating that the older truly was angry with him for lying and didn't want him to be a part of the pack after all - that his words of reassurance during their group's discussion had been forged for the benefit of the other pack members. This was not the case, as Hyunwoo was actually in the middle of a crisis. He blamed himself for not picking up on Minhyuk's symptoms sooner, for not protecting him, for not being someone that Minhyuk felt safe opening up to. He felt he had failed the younger not only as a friend, but as a pack leader. Hyunwoo had felt so guilty that he was unable to so much as make eye contact with Minhyuk after the severity of what he had told them all had finally sunk in. Hoseok had had to intervene, gently but firmly reminding him that Minhyuk needed  _both_ of his Alphas to be caring for him while his mindset was still so fragile.

Slowly but surely, things began to change between the two of them. Hyunwoo would meet his eyes again, and once they had finally been able to talk out what they had each been feeling (the other members had strategically all left without Hyunwoo's knowledge - unknowingly leaving him alone in the dorm with Minhyuk, which had led to less-than-awkward kitchen encounter, resulting in spilled milk and cereal that they had both rushed to clean up) things became clearer between the two. Minhyuk was able to hear Hyunwoo's logic behind his actions, and because Minhyuk was Minhyuk, he had playfully whacked the Alpha on the shoulder and laughed at the both of them for being so stupid, all the while encouraging Hyunwoo that there was no one else he would rather have to be his pack Alpha.

-

Hoseok had been much easier to deal with, as in general he was a much more open and emotional Alpha. Minhyuk had been desperately thankful for that. Hoseok had refused to leave Minhyuk's side after the group's conversation, but had also been kind enough to ask him periodically if he needed space. Minhyuk had been thankful for the Alphas comforting presence and scent, and it had worked wonders to help keep him calm when the realization that he had actually told his pack mates about his past had set in, promptly sending him into a panic.

Hoseok had also been the one that had been contacting the managers, keeping them in the loop of Minhyuk's condition. They had all been understanding of the circumstances, and had allowed the pack days off to deal with Minhyuk's heat and the aftermath of it, just as they would any other Omega. Minhyuk's legal paperwork had all been sorted out as well, and their manager had assured them that situations like this, of group members suppressing their sub-gender, happen more than Hoseok may think. That had tugged on Hoseok's heartstrings painfully. 

Hoseok had also been quick to shower the younger Omega with all sorts of love and affection, as much and as often as he would allow it. When Minhyuk had blushingly confided to Hoseok that he found his scent to be incredibly comforting, Hoseok had not-so-secretly begun to scent him as often as he could, leaving the smaller smile-y and content.

-

Changkyun's reaction had been one of the hardest for Minhyuk to understand. As both their maknae and youngest Omega, Changkyun was stereotypically supposed to be the "soft, emotional, sweet submissive" Omega, but he was honestly anything but. The pack never loved him any less for it, and in fact Hyunwoo had once voiced that he was glad their youngest was as strong and independent as he was. 

Changkyun had, like Hyunwoo, kept his distance from Minhyuk, but for a totally different reason. Changkyun was  _scared_. He was scared of saying the wrong thing or touching Minhyuk the wrong way - anything that would cause him to be in pain. After watching the way Minhyuk's eyes had clouded over, as if reliving the story of his past while revealing it to the rest of them, Changkyun had vowed that he would _never_ cause Minhyuk to feel scared like that. So he took control of the station in the only way that seemed to make sense - by keeping his distance.

It hadn't taken long for Minhyuk to shyly confront their youngest, anxiously twisting the hem of his (read:Hoseok's) sweatshirt in his hands, rocking back and forth nervously at the foot of Changkyun's bed. Chngkyun had immediately closed his laptop, giving Minhyuk his full and undivided attention, because Minhyuk was hurting and Changkyun was prepared to literally  _fight_ the cause of it when -

"Are you mad at me?" the hesitant words swirled through the tense air between the two Omegas. Changkyun's eyes were suddenly watery.

"W-what? No, of course not, why would you-?" Changkyun broke off, attempting to bury the crack in his voice under the weak guise of a cough.

"Oh," Minhyuk looked awkward, eyes darting anywhere but Changkyun's own, "You've just-you've been... I don't know, I'm sorry for bugging you." Minhyuk turned to leave the room, and Changkyun panicked.

"I'm scared," Changkyun blurts, and it catches them both off guard. He makes no effort to elaborate and Minhyuk is stunned because that is  _literally the last thing he ever expected_ and for a few moments they both just stay in awkward silence. "I don't know how to act around you."

And suddenly Minhyuk is finding it hard to breath because he knew it was all just too good to be true. Of course Changkyun doesn't know how to act around such a horrible person, someone who pretended to be someone he wasn't, someone who hid his status from another  _Omega,_  so  _of course_ Changkyun doesn't know how to act around him now, it all makes so much sense-

"Hyung!" hands are shaking Minhyuk, bringing him back to reality. Changkyun's eyes become blurry because he was failing, doing the exact thing he had set out to _not_ do, all he'd wanted was to protect his hyung, give him space like he thought he needed. "I didn't mean it like that! I - shit," he curses, and normally Minhyuk (or Kihyun, more likely) would scold him for swearing but Minhyuk didn't even register the words, as he brought his hand up to wipe the tears off of Changkyun's cheeks. 

Changkyun takes a heavy breath, "I don't know what triggers you. I don't want to hurt you, or scare you, or," he trails off, embarrassed at being this open with his hyung. 

"Oh,  _Changkyunnie,"_ Minhyuk breathes, eyes suddenly wide with understanding, and then they're both crying, their distress hormones wreaking havoc on each other, each desperate to comfort the other. 

They both start at the sound of footsteps rushing towards the bedroom, Hyunwoo nearly colliding with the doorframe as he tries to get into the room as fast as possible because  _his Omega's are hurting_ , and Minhyuk can't help but let out a giggle at Hyunwoo's wide, groggy eyes (he had previously been asleep on the couch) trying to assess the situation and make sense of why the hell Changkyun and Minhyuk were sitting on the formers bed wrapped up in each other, both crying.

At Minhyuk's giggle, Changkyun lets out a small one too, and suddenly they're both laughing, and Hyunwoo has no idea what's going on, but Minhyuk looks at Changkyun and knows he doesn't hate him and their eyes meet and they each send watery smiles to the other, and Minhyuk feels okay for a moment.

-

Hyungwon's reaction had been the one that surprised the pack the most. Hyungwon was not typically a touchy, lovey-dovey person, but Minhyuk appeared to be the one and only exception to this rule. He always kept an eye on Minhyuk, watching him with a care that none of the other members had ever seen him exhibit before. If one of the others wasn't available for Minhyuk's cuddling pleasure, (he had been absolutely touch-drunk lately, basking in the long-desired attention he was finally receiving, and finally comfortable enough to accept it), Hyungwon would open his arms and Minhyuk would bound into them, burrowing up against Hyunwon and honestly  _how had he never done this before Hyungwon was literal prime cuddling material._ He would, however always miss the fond smile Hyungwon buried into his hair, his arms tightening protectively around Minhyuk.

-

Kihyun's reaction had been the easiest to predict. He basically treated Minhyuk the way he had while he took care of him during his heat, just toned down a bit. He acted more motherly towards the Omega, beginning to nag him like he did the other Omegas, and when Changkyun had leaned over to whisper in his ear after Kihyun had scolded the two of them for not putting away their gaming console controllers, "See what you've been missing, hyung?" Minhyuk had laughed at Kihyun's mock offended expression because  _of course he had heard, he has both eyes_ and  _ears on the back of his head apparently,_ Minhyuk had silently thought to himself that he'd never want to go back to the way things were before.

-

Minhyuk's first conversation with Jooheon, which had taken place only a few hours after he had fallen asleep on the couch curled up with him and Hoseok shortly after the group had been made aware of Minhyuk's past, had been a hard one. 

They were both sat on Minhyuk's bed, where his nest was still made, and Minhyuk felt guilty for the pang of fear that still ran through his body at another person being in his nest.

"Are you okay?" Jooheon had asked him this repeatedly after they'd left the couch. Minhyuk just nodded, staring down at the blankets and feeling foreign in his own skin at the thought of everything finally being out in the open with his group members.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Jooheon asked quietly, a note of hurt present in his voice. All things accounted for, considering how emotional Jooheon usually was, Minhyuk was astonished at how well he was holding himself together. Minhyuk on the other hand felt like he was going to lose control of his tear ducts at any moment. 

"I couldn't," and Minhyuk knows it's not enough, not anywhere  _near_ the explanation Jooheon and the rest of the pack deserve, but Minhyuk doesn't know how to put it into words. "I've been hiding it all my life, even since school. I thought about revealing it once we debuted, like the rest of you did, but I was too scared. I missed the moment so I had to follow through with it, I couldn't just come clean." 

"Of course you could have! We all would have understood, no one would have ever held anything like that against you, hyung." Jooheon seems desperate to get his point across, and Minhyuk reaches across the blanket to grab his hand.

"I know that now," he smiles softly at Jooheon, because he actually  _did_ know that now. His pack-no, his bandmates, his friends, had been nothing but kind, supportive, and understanding once Minhyuk had finally divulged the truth to them. Minhyuk honestly couldn't think of an outcome  _better_ than the one he had been fortunate enough to experience, and now that he finally felt somewhat comfortable around his favorite people, he felt he could finally be himself. "You've all been great, I never expected things to be this good."

Jooheon finds himself heartbroken at Minhyuk's words. They had all been devastated upon hearing his story, all equally outraged at the idea of someone hurting  _their_ Minhyuk, their  _sunshine._ Jooheon had quite possibly taken it the hardest, refusing to let Minhyuk out of his sight, ready to guard him with his life if necessary. Minhyuk had found it incredibly endearing to watch Jooheon act as his guard dog, especially when he had come across as more of a guard  _puppy_ , if anything.

-

Overall, Minhyuk could not have expected a better outcome than the one he had been gifted with by his best friends. All things considered, despite the initial awkwardness and everyone's treating of Minhyuk like he was made of glass, things had been good. Everything had eventually settled, Minhyuk falling into his new role more easily than he had ever expected. It was good, Minhyuk wasn't hiding from his friends anymore.

The managers and fans had taken the news of Minhyuk's true sub-gender incredibly well. Nothing but support and love was shown to Minhyuk at their first performance after the news had gotten out, and Minhyuk had been astonished. He truly was lucky. 

Minhyuk was better, he truly was. But the thought of going into heat again (which would now happen in two months or so due to him finally quitting his toxic heat represents) was still a daunting thought wreaking havoc at the back of his mind. Sometimes he would be cuddled up to Hyunwoo on the couch, head in his lap, when the sick feeling would hit. When Hyunwoo's hands carding softly through his hair suddenly didn't belong to Hyunwoo any longer, and Minhyuk would have to make up some excuse to lock himself in the bathroom to calm down. It had happened once when he was helping Kihyun cook, and Kihyun had unintentionally scared him when he had approached the boy from behind, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his head on his shoulder. The act had been meant to be laughably domestic, but Minhyuk had stiffened in Kihyun's hold, mind suddenly going blank as everything hit him full force.

He would go into heat again, and soon. He would be vulnerable and weak, and it was to be expected that Hyunwoo or Hoseok or possibly even both (although the thought had Minhyuk shaking in fear) would be with him during his heat. Surely the managers wouldn't allow him to take another five days off again, especially when they were gracious enough to have already scheduled the mandatory two-day heat leave (the first day being meant for Alpha-Omega "bonding" as they referred to it, the second being allotted for aftercare) that they allowed every Omega in the company when their heats hit. 

Minhyuk could hear Kihyun talking to him, could feel himself being lowered to the floor and wrapped in Kihyun's arms. He also noticed when Hoseok had walked into the room, a look of confusion dancing across his features at the odd position of the two on the floor. His heart wanted to let out the whine currently trapped in his throat and reach out for the Alpha to comfort him, but his head currently held the reigns and Minhyuk instead ended up violently flinching away from Hoseok's offered embrace. 

Minhyuk hadn't even realized he'd spoken until Kihyun gently pulled Minhyuk's head away from his neck where it had been buried. "Can you say that again, baby?" he asked.

"I-I can't do it," Minhyuk choked out, eyes wide and scared and Kihyun was nothing but confused. He had the strange feeling that Minhyuk was not one-hundred percent with them right now, so he patiently waited for him to elaborate, giving him a few moments to breathe and collect his scrambled thoughts.

"I have to do it alone again, or the pills, but I can't, I can't-" he broke off, ducking his head back into Kihyun's neck. Kihyun shot a panicked glance at Hoseok, who was still crouched behind Minhyuk.

"Min, baby, can you look at me?" Hoseok said quietly as he moved to be sat behind Kihyun, so if Minhyuk lifted his head he would see him. It took a few long, pained moments for Minhyuk to finally be able to lift his head, but once he met Hoseok's eyes he had to look down immediately.

"Baby, no one is going to force you to do anything you don't want to do. If you want to spend your heat alone again," Hoseok had to pause, reel himself in because it went against _every fibre_ of his being to say this to Minhyuk, "we will respect that. No one is going to be with you, if that's what you want." 

Hoseok wanted to take it back. He had heard from Changkyun (who had spent one of his first few heats alone) that it was absolutely  _excruciating_ to go through it without an Alpha, without physical contact, without release. Hoseok desperately wanted to avoid Minhyuk going through any more pain, even if it was what he wanted, but he knew forcing anything on the younger was absolutely out of the question. He and Hyunwoo would never touch Minhyuk in any way other than what he wanted, would never do anything with him without his consent.

"I don't know what I want," Minhyuk's voice suddenly filled the air after a long stretch of silence between the three of them. "Sometimes I think it would be okay, that I'd be able to handle it, s-sometimes I even," he swallowed, breaking eye contact with Hoseok, blushing slightly, "w-want it. But then all of the sudden its not one of you with me, its him and I-" Kihyun's hand brushed through his hair soothingly, "I hate it when you all see me like this."

Kihyun's hand in his hair stilled, and Hoseok's breathing hitched. "Baby, you never have to feel that way with us," Kihyun murmured. 

The silence was broken by the pot on the stove threatening to boil over. Minhyuk had totally forgotten they were supposed to be making dinner.

Kihyun disentangled himself from Minhyuk gently, and it was only a moment before another set of arms were pulling him into a muscled chest. The scent of pine was calming and Minhyuk relaxed in the Alphas hold. 

Things, for the most part, returned to normal after that. Hoseok held true to his promise that the others would respect his decision to spend his next heat alone, and while it had been one of the most challenging experiences of his and Hyunwoo's lives to respect Minhyuk's wishes, they had done so. Kihyun had looked after him again, and Jooheon had gone in and cuddled with him whenever his heat subsided long enough to allow it. By the end of his second heat witnessed by the group, only Hoseok, Hyunwoo, and Hyungwon had not entered Minhyuk's bedroom (only with his expressed consent, of course) to bring him food or water. Kihyun had considered that to be a win.

Although things were far from perfect, they were leaps better than they were before. One day Minhyuk would be comfortable enough to invite them into his nest, and they would finally be able to take care of him in the way he deserved, treat him the way he should have been all along. 

But it would take time, and everyone accepted that. They were all willing to wait for Minhyuk.

\----

The plan was put into action on a Sunday, and Kihyun was about to strangle each of his pack mates.

They had been planning a date night for Minhyuk, something special to surprise him on his birthday. The dorm had been cleaned, their kitchen being filled with balloons and other discount store decorations, but it still wasn't good enough in Kihyun's eyes. After he had snapped at Changkyun (not for the first time that evening) and the younger had actually looked hurt this time instead of offended like the times before, Kihyun decided he needed to check himself and stepped outside of the dorm and into the hall.

Tonight had to be perfect. They had to show Minhyuk just how much he meant to all of them, the timing had to be right, they couldn't come on too strong, it had to be-

"Kihyun." The strong voice immediately snapped him out of his thoughts. When had Hyunwoo stepped into the hallway? "Ki, its going to be okay. He's going to love the decorations and the cake you made," 

"I know he will," Kihyun snapped back, offended that Hyunwoo thought he was worried about a cake and decorations of all things. "I'm worried about what happens after." 

Hyunwoo nodded in understanding, and Kihyun could tell he was nervous too. The older rarely showed any type of vulnerability in front of his pack, always opting to keep a strong front. Kihyun could always tell, though. It was just part of being a Beta. Hyunwoo's shoulders were more tense than usual, and his voice had been more clipped, controlled than he usually kept it. With Hyunwoo, it was always little things.

Hyunwoo took Kihyun's hand and pulled him back into the dorm to finish setting things up. All of the pack waited in the living room with baited breath for Jooheon and Minhyuk to come back.

-

When the sound of the door unlocking echoed into the living room, the nervous, excited energy within the pack shot skywards again. Minhyuk's laughter could be heard even though he wasn't even in the dorm yet, and Kihyun smiled at that. Maybe this would go okay.

Jooheon flicked on the light and the others sprang up from their positions, all shouting, "Happy birthday!" at an adorably shocked Minhyuk. They all pulled him in for a hug, and Minhyuk looked the happiest they'd ever seen him as he beamed up at each of them, smile reaching his ears. 

They enjoyed cake, and Minhyuk had loved the gifts each of his friends had gotten him. Then the seven of them had all settled down in various locations in the living room, the beginning of one of Minhyuk's favorite movies acting as the only source of sound in the room. 

Minhyuk was curled up with Hyungwon, the taller running a hand up and down his back absently. Minhyuk was the only one paying a lick of attention to the film. The others were all caught up in their own thoughts.

The movie ended, and Minhyuk sat up and stretched. He turned to look around at the rest of the people in the room, taking in each of their various positions - Changkyun and Jooheon curled up on the couch, Hoseok and Kihyun on one of the chairs, Hyunwoo on another. 

"You're all acting weird," Minhyuk deadpanned. He was fidgeting with his shirt, trying not to display how anxious he was. He had picked up on the odd mood of the room about half way through the movie, and it had been nagging at him ever since.

Hyunwoo sits up in his chair, being the first to break the silence. "We all wanted to talk to you about something." 

Minhyuk tenses. Here it comes. The other shoe was about to drop. Were they kicking him out after all? Had a manager said something bad about him needing a full five days? Were they mad at him for something he did? Minhyuk couldn't think of anything he'd done wrong lately, but it had to be something.

Minhyuk had been so lost in his own head that he hadn't noticed Hyunwoo moving to sit with him and Hyungwon on the floor. His hands gently grabbed Minhyuk's, thumb rubbing soothing circles.

"Minhyuk," Hyunwoo begins, "Do you still want to be a part of this pack?"

_What?_

"What?" Minhyuk stuttered out.

"We all have talked about it. We decided long ago, back even before debut, that we wanted you to be a part of this pack. You said you weren't ready, and we respected that. Our offer still stands. If you're ready now, we can make it official. If not, that's okay, too. We all love you, and will wait as long as you need us to." Hyunwoo says, hands still around Minhyuk's.

"Love," Minhyuk echoes softly, and Changkyun and Jooheon move closer to where the three are already sitting on the floor. Changkyun settles further away than Jooheon, who wraps his arms around Minhyuk and tells him he loves him. Minhyuk blushes. 

"Cute," Hyungwon muses from his spot on the other side of Minhyuk, and Minhyuk doesn't even have the urge to elbow him. 

He feels like he's floating. Everyone has moved to surround him on the floor, and all of the scents from the ones he loves most were surrounding and engulfing him in the most wonderful way, and suddenly Minhyuk is absolutely sure of his answer.

"I want the bite," Minhyuk finally gathers the courage to say, eyes meeting Hyunwoo's. Hyunwoo smiles, opening his arms for the younger to crawl into. Minhyuk is practically in Hyunwoo's lap, their chests only inches away from each other. 

"You're absolutely sure?" He asks, eyes searching Minhyuk's for any sign of reluctance or discomfort. Minhyuk nods in affirmation.

"Does it hurt?" he asks quietly before Hyunwoo leans in. It sounds childish and Minhyuk wants to take it back the instant he says it.

"Only a little," Hyungwon assures him, leaning forward to grab his hand. "But then it feels absolutely  _amazing."_

And oh god, had Hyungwon been right. Hyunwoo leaned forward, his lips gently brushing Minhyuk's bared neck. Minhyuk had flinched at first, mostly because of nerves, but also because it felt so foreign, so _intimate_ to be touched and held like this, and for once, Minhyuk wasn't terrified of it.

The bite had stung at first, but before Minhyuk could so much as dwell on it, his body was flooded with a rush of  _euphoria_. 

Hyunwoo held him through it, wrapped his arms around him after he had licked the wound on his neck clean. He suddenly felt a lot closer to everyone in the room, like he desperately needed them all to be holding him  _right now,_ which for one was problematic because there were _six of them_ so it just wasn't practical, but also Minhyuk had felt so overwhelmed by this unexpected influx of emotions that he had no way to voice what he needed.

"It's okay baby, we know." Kihyun whispered soothingly into his ear, and Hyunwoo had hoisted him up into his arms and carried him down the hall and into one of the bedrooms. He was held while a nest was assembled on the floor, and then lowered into it gently. Hyunwoo pulled away, and Minhyuk let out an embarrassingly desperate sound that he would forever deny making. His desperation was ended swiftly, however, as Hoseok was quick to take Hyunwoo's place, pulling Minhyuk close. The others piled into the nest, surrounding Minhyuk with the comfort of each of their scents and presences. 

Minhyuk felt safe, felt loved. He was finally a part of the pack. Still coming down from the high from the bite, he closed his eyes and just listened to the breathing coming from the ones he loved. From his family. His pack.

Minhyuk was finally done hiding. 

 


End file.
